Epigraph

Episode nine has finally dropped! We speak with the lovely and
talented Benjamin Rybeck, Marketing Director and Events Coordinator
at Brazos Bookstore and author of The Sadness.

Introduction [0:30]

In Which Emma and Kim Have a Sponsor and Make Terrible Puns,
Plus Ben Invents the Phrase “Page Turner”

Currently drinking: screwdirvers with Stolichnaya, inspired by
Sabbath’s Theater by Philip Roth

This episode is actually brought to you by a sponsor! Books & Whatnot is an excellent and
informative newsletter for booksellers; it’s quick to read and
filled with tips! Brought to you by Beth Golay. Check out the
newsletter archive here. Follow on Twitter at @booksandwhatnot.

Kim recalls possibly the best customer interaction ever, in
which a male teacher from an all-girls school requests recs for a
primer on feminism; Shrill by Lindy West,
We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda
Ngozie Adiche, andRad American Women A-Z by Kate Schatz and
Miriam Klein Stahl (illus.) are among her recs.

Emma tries to make them into a romance reader and, if that
fails, recommends Beauty Queens by Libba Bray.

Kim recommends graphica (though Emma’s first three thoughts when
she says graphica are Watchmen, Persepolis, and Fun Home—not the happiest of reads…)

Chapter I [21:21]

In Which Ben Walks Into a Bookstore and Receives a Job,
Coins the term “litizen,” and Says the Word Smartypants a Lot.
Plus Emma Freaks Out About Events Coordinators/Drunk Booksellers’
Guests Not Reading Harry Potter

Have you heard about this new Harry Potter book coming out? Kim imagines
that it will be mostly about ennui of adulthood, and compares it to
Ben’s book The Sadness.

Chapter II [37:46]

In Which Ben Pitches His Book Succinctly—It’s a Book About
Film and Failure— and We Discuss Adulting

“Booksellers as adults is a strange thing; you’re asking people
to become adults and go out into the world where their primary
relationship to anything in their lives has been sitting alone in a
room…that’s not going to end well.”

Chapter III [44:34]

In Which We Speculate Alice Munroe’s Drinking Habits,
Declare Adult Connect-the-Dots as The Next Big Thing, And Bring Up
the Fact That Ben Hasn’t Read Harry Potter Again

Ben wants to drink with John Updike to see if he’s as
insufferable a person as Ben finds him as a writer. Kim mocks his
reasoning. His second choice is Alice Munroe (who may or may not
listen to this podcast? We’re pretty sure she doesn’t. But we can
dream.)

Did you know you can enjoy our wit and charm on Twitter? Follow
us at @drunkbookseller. Kim also occasionally tweets
from @finaleofseem. Emma can be found at @thebibliot and also on Book Riot, where she writes articles which are
both nerdy and informative!

If you know a bookseller who would love to spend a few hours
drinking and chatting with us, have them shoot us an email at
drunkbooksellers@gmail.com.

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